Nettle Grasper
by himitsugami
Summary: Nittle Grasper wasn't always as it is now. Before Noriko joined the band, there was another. What happened to the original Nettle Grasper?


Disclaimer: I don't own them. Just worshiping in the beloved fangirl way.

Prologue

Sakuma Ryuuichi bounded into Seguchi Touma's office with little care to personal privacy or decency. He'd known Touma forever, and knew the pianist wouldn't mind. And anyway, he was on a mission!

"Touma!" He crouched down into front of Touma's desk, and raised Kumagoro over the edge. He caused the little pink bunny to wave its arm in the air. "Ryuuichi has something very important to tell you!"

A small gasp of surprise caused Ryuuichi's brow to furrow. Touma was never surprised. But when he spoke, his voice sounded normal… Ryuuichi shrugged.

"What can I do for Ryuuichi-san?" the blond asked. The singer knew Touma was smiling the same smile he always smiled.

Kumagoro put a hand to his chin, and then announced, "Ryuuichi wants a llama!"

There was a thoughtful silence. "Hm. A llama. What is Ryuuichi-san going to do with a llama?" the blond asked.

"Pet it, and play with it, and-"

"Where would you keep a llama, Ryuuichi-san?" Touma asked calmly. Calm, but not calm enough. Touma always played along.

The singer poked his head up and around Kumagoro, resting his nose against the edge of the desk, feeling it flatten against the cold wood. "Touma?" he asked softly.

The keyboardist simply held his smile. "There you are, Ryuuichi-san. Now, how are you going to take care of a llama?"

Ryuuichi stood, the pink bunny forgotten in his left hand. He studied his fellow band member. The way Touma's brows arched just so, and the way his lips curved just a little too far… The vocalist's eyes narrowed. Touma only wore that smile when he was hiding one thing.

"You've been thinking about him again," he said accusingly.

"Him?" the blond asked.

"I know you too well for that, Touma. Don't play with me. Nittle Grasper is better now than it ever could have been with him! Don't think about him!"

Touma sighed, and the smile dropped. His lips formed a straight line, and without his eyes guarded, Ryuuichi could see a deep sadness in their aqua depths. "Every once in a while, I have to wonder. What would our lives be like if I hadn't made the mistake that took him from us?"

Ryuuichi slammed his hands down on the desk, leaning closer to the boss of NG records. He idly noticed he no longer held Kumagoro, but dismissed the thought. He'd find the bunny later. "It wasn't your mistake, Touma. He made the initial mistake. What you found, he shouldn't have been hiding."

The blond shook his head, letting the silky strands of hair cover his eyes. "He told me not to come. I did anyway. I shouldn't have. I should have minded my own business."

"You were worried about him, and rightfully so. Stop being so… so… Japanese! It isn't your fault!"

The blond shuffled the papers on his desk, bringing the singer's attention to a chart. "What's that?" he asked.

"It's the sales records. Bad Luck topped us on the chart. Their last single did better than ours."

Ryuuichi snatched the paper from the keyboardist's hands, and tore it in half. "We'll put out a new single, one to blow theirs right off the charts."

Touma smiled then, the one Ryuuichi had always found distinctly creepy. "But you feel it too, don't you? Bad Luck is becoming what we should have been, if he'd stayed with us. It's why we compete with them so fiercely.

"Noriko-san is a strong member of Nittle Grasper, and without her we wouldn't have come nearly as far as we have. We've topped the charts because we had no competition, but our synthesized sounds are nothing against a strong guitarist. I wouldn't give Noriko-san up for the world, but two keyboardists isn't enough against Bad Luck's growing talent.

"We wouldn't be facing this if he was still here. If I hadn't driven him off…"

Ryuuichi stood straight. "He didn't want to be with us. Touma, what he did was unforgivable. It was his choice. You need to forget about him. We'll just work harder. Nittle Grasper will crush Bad Luck, and we'll do it with the skill of our two keyboardists. Don't you dare lose faith in us, Seguchi Touma!"

Touma's smile seemed to relax a little, then. "Of course we will, Ryuuichi-san. I could never lose faith in you or Noriko-san. I'm just… I'm getting old, and some times, the past comes back to me, and I wonder what could have been."

The singer shook his head, and caught sight of Kumagoro lying discarded on the floor. He smiled brightly then, his cheeks pinkening. "Just don't think about him, Touma," he said, waving one of Kumagoro's paws. "Kumagoro will be sad if you don't believe in Nittle Grasper."

"I know, Ryuuichi-san. Now, why don't you run along. I have some paperwork to finish up."

Kumagoro nodded enthusiastically. "Hai, Touma!" Ryuuichi bounded toward the door, but paused after he pulled it open, stopping to study Touma once more.

The keyboardist sat, his hands folded in front of his face, his eyes closed. The curve of his brow… The singer sighed. If Touma insisted on thinking of what could have been… He and Noriko would just have to write lyrics to a song that would crush Bad Luck. Then, and only then, would they bring their leader back from the depressive funk he'd fallen into.

Ryuuichi exited Touma's office, letting the door close softly behind him.


End file.
